Psalm 96

Its not about you (Warren, 2002).

I love how Rick Warren begins The Purpose Driven Life by reminding us that God created us in his image for his good purposes, not our own.  In this best-selling book, Warren invites readers into a 40 day spiritual journey to discover (or affirm) their life’s purpose through studying God’s plan.

  • Purpose #1: You Were Planned for God’s Pleasure
  • Purpose #2: You Were Formed for God’s Family
  • Purpose #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ
  • Purpose #4: You Were Shaped for Serving God
  • Purpose #5: You Were Made for a Mission

God’s plan for our lives starts with acknowledging and worshipping him as the giver and sustainer of life.  Our scripture for today, Psalm 96, provides a beautiful blueprint for how to glorify God through worship.

Did you know this Psalm appears in the Bible two times?  In 1 Chronicles 15, the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem after David’s army defeated the Philistines. Upon its arrival, David asked musicians to lead the people in worship with these words (recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:23-36).  The same words were then recorded as the 96th chapter of the book of Psalms.

Each paragraph of Psalm 96 begins with a different command/call to action, thus providing a how-to blueprint for worship.  These actions, of course, are not the only way to worship God.  But if this Psalm is important enough to be recorded in God’s word more than once, it warrants our attention.  Let’s take a look –

Sing (verses 1-6)

What does it mean to sing to the Lord a new song?   We should always be finding new ways to praise God.  Worship should be a fresh experience that engages the mind and heart, rather than a boring ritual.  If God’s mercies toward us are new every morning, so should be our praise for him.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Ascribe (verses 7-9)

The word ascribe means to give proper credit where credit is due.  If everything good and perfect comes from God, glory can be ascribed to no one other than him.  This seems logical and easy to follow.  But all too often I know I am guilty of patting myself on the back for being a “good decision maker” or “using sound judgment” instead of giving God the credit for guiding my ways.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17).

For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be the glory forever!  Amen (Romans 11:36).

Say (verses 10-13)

If we identify ourselves as followers of Jesus Christ and have accepted his gift of salvation, each one of us has declared Jesus as Lord.  God then uses us as his vessels for carrying the gospel message to the World.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

Today, let us come before the throne of God with a heart of worship.  Sing, ascribe, say – all glory to his name.  Amen.

Psalm 95

Psalm 95

It’s easy to harden our hearts towards God when we don’t see Him working in our lives like we expect. I remember praying for my youngest and making request after request for him to start talking, meeting milestones, and for us to find the right help. The more I asked, the more I focused on the problem. The problem almost became an idol as I was researching, reading blogs, and always looking for the answer. I spent most of my time asking why and blaming myself. Looking back I see how Satan can cause the difficulties in our life to be distractions from an opportunity to worship God in the midst of our struggle. The prayers made for help were not sinful. They were really important to help me express what I needed, but they didn’t result in peace or rest. We find peace and rest in difficult situations when we spend time focusing on who God is and the value it has in our lives. When our hearts are hardened, there is no peace. The beauty of worshipping God, the creator of the Universe, is that it has nothing to do with us or our circumstances and everything to do with Him. We have the opportunity to set our troubles aside, knowing that we have exhausted all of the questions, and focus on Him.

Psalm 95 is an invitation to worship God. Set aside the struggles and concerns of today and spend time worshipping. Hold your requests and fill your heart and mind with the truth of all that God is and has done. Psalm 95:3-7 “For the Lord is a great God, the great King above all gods. He owns the depths of the earth and even the mightiest mountains are his. The sea belongs to him, for he made it. His hands formed the dry land too. The Lord is our maker for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care.”

We can have peace in the midst of our struggles because we know the Prince of Peace. Come let us worship the king!

 

Ouch…I deserved that.

Have you ever been disciplined? Have you ever had to discipline your children?

If we are honest, I’m sure we would say Yes to both. (If you don’t have children yet, this opportunity will eventually arise.)  Often, when I have to discipline my children, I see many examples of my younger self in them. I won’t take any opportunity here to talk about my better half.  Discipline is not fun, but it is necessary.  As I was reading Psalm 94 for today, there were certain words that jumped off the page for me as this Psalm focuses on rightful judgment and discipline.

In my NIV version, the words “proud,” “arrogantly,” “boasting,” and “vanity” all come together for a common theme.  Selfishness! It’s about me. In my children’s case, it’s about them without consideration for others.  We often have many opportunities to teach.

Psalm 94:13-14 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,
the one you teach from your law;
13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,
till a pit is dug for the wicked.

Just like a loving parent that has to discipline their children, God sometimes disciplines us.  My example would include yelling at our kids not to run out in the road for the 10th time and have them sit out to learn their lesson. Sometimes God disciplines us to help us grow.  How has he done this with you in your years? Whatever form it may take for you or your children, this discipline is never enjoyable, but it is necessary to teach us right from wrong.

Maybe you have felt God’s hand of correction lately. My selfish reaction to a recent situation that didn’t go the way I planned was a perfect example of my shortcomings.  Accept God’s correction as proof that He loves you. Let it remind you that God urges us to follow His path instead of our own each day. So one day, we will be in His Kingdom together.

As you enter into this day, let’s watch our pridefulness, the boasting, the vanity that we can all fall trap to when we lose sight of our God that is standing right by our side.

Hebrews 12:6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.

Hebrew 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

The Discipline of the Lord – Charles Spurgeon

The Roaring Sea

Psalm 93 (The Message)

1-2 God is King, robed and ruling,
God is robed and surging with strength.

    And yes, the world is firm, immovable,
    Your throne ever firm—you’re Eternal!

3-4 Sea storms are up, God,
Sea storms wild and roaring,
Sea storms with thunderous breakers.

    Stronger than wild sea storms,
    Mightier than sea-storm breakers,
    Mighty God rules from High Heaven.

5 What you say goes—it always has.
“Beauty” and “Holy” mark your palace rule,
God, to the very end of time.

Since the beginning of time the seas have always intrigue us. The immense size and depth of the waters continue to perplex us even today. There are many areas and places in the oceans and seas that still have not been discovered. Approximately five percent of the total oceans have been explored. The same can be stated about the many seas that we have on earth. The seas and the oceans have one particular predictability: they can have calm or storms at a moment’s notice and these two (peace and chaos) can happen simultaneously on the same body of water at two different locations.

There are several seas that are referenced in the Bible. Two particular seas are the Red Sea and the Sea of Galilee. These bodies of water are places of many miracles. For the Red Sea one of the first major miracles was performed by Moses delivering the Israelites from Egypt. On the sea of Galilee there was several miracles that shown by Christ. On the Sea of Galilee, Jesus shows himself to the disciples in the night and Peter understands Christ power as he walks on water. The other miracle is when the disciples are in dismay and angst during the tempest and storm. During the storm Christ is slumbering and has to be woken by the disciples. When he awakens, he silenced the storm with a whisper and a flick of the hand. These are some of the ways God shows us magnificent power over the most complex part of nature. He shows us that He is all powerful and able to control the things where we still do not understand but only 5% of the waters.

This particular psalm is meaningful to me this past week, this past month, and this past year. The Lord reigns over everything and can be heard, even over the roaring and raging seas. The seas of life are raging everywhere. Sometimes we can not hear the love and peace that God has for us because we are listening to the sea and not His voice. In the midst of the roar, we have to remember that Jesus was able to rest in the storm because he knew whom he belonged and who has the power over all things. This coming week, I will rest in Him who has the voice that pierces over the roar of the sea. He who can give me utter peace in the storm. How will you react to the roaring seas this week?

Be blessed

Praise for the Date Palm

I know I am on vacation when I am surrounded by Palm Trees.  My idea of a vacation is sitting around a pool or on the beach relaxing with family.  My Mom and Dad have had a home in Florida for the past 18 years of which I have had the blessing of visiting at least once every year.  When I am there, I picture myself sitting around their small community  pool where the palm trees are all around us.  There are around 12 different varieties of palm trees in Florida, and NOT one of them is the Palm tree mentioned in todays reading of Psalm 92.

In Psalm 92, David speaks of thankfulness.  We all have days when we can thank God endlessly for the gifts and blessings in our lives.  But, then there are other days when we are rushed and stressed and are too overwhelmed to see beyond the burdens of life.  These are the days we need to most read a Psalm like this one to remind us of how much God loves us.

In verse 12 of the 92nd Psalm we learn of the Date Palm tree.  This palm is famous for its beauty.  This tree can grow to 90 feet tall.  It is said to be the most useful tree on earth.  There are desert places that would be uninhabitable if it were not for the date palm.  It can grow where no other useful plant will grow.  The date palm tree is a tree of the desert.  It sinks its roots down deep to draw up the scarce water from down deep in the earth.

The date palm is a long lived tree.  It can still bear fruit when it is  more than 100 years old.  This beautiful and useful palm tree symbolizes the beauty and usefulness of believers who have heir roots in God. 

Yes!  Look how you’ve made all your devoted lovers to flourish like palm trees, each one growing in victory, standing with strength!

Psalm 92:12

This Psalm ends with such a positive and exciting verse.

Even in their old age they will stay fresh, bearing luscious fruit and abiding faithfully.

Psalm 92:14

As I have rolled passed the half century mark in my life, this verse gives me such hope and life.  Just like the Date Palm tree, I want to continue to produce fruit until the end of my days.  I want to flourish, continue to grow deep roots, and be productive all of the days of my life.  

Shelter of the Lord – Psalm 91

You’ve likely seen or heard Psalm 91 at least a few times over the last year. Not hard to imagine where the applicability of this psalm applies – “For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.” With COVID and all, we’ve all had increased reminders for well over a year now, how we have no need to cling to fear of disease and peril when we hold closely to the Lord.

We know that residing in the Lord’s place doesn’t prevent us from getting sick. Testament of prayer and faith keeping people safe as they work for the Lord amidst plague and death do totally exist, and are incredible testimonies in displaying God’s providence. But lots of Christians have gotten COVID-19 in the last year, getting sick or passing away in part from the virus. It’s a sinful world; we’re sinful beings by nature. These are parts of our reality we can not escape, which includes our frail human susceptibility to disease. But we’re not bound to fear and hopelessness in the face of this like some may be; this Psalm ensures us that God’s angels watch us as we follow His ways and embody His will, and He has trampled such serious evils underfoot on a much grander scale through Christ’s death and resurrection.

It’s easy to twist this passage to insinuate faith will protect us from anything bad happening – Satan tried to twist this passage in Matthew 4 to convince Jesus of the same. But this verse changes with where we consider “home” in our Christ-centric lives – is this world our permanent home? No, we know our place is with God in His eternal Kingdom. This verse points towards the hope that carries us in the face of things that strike deep, existential fear in the hearts of men who want nothing beyond this world. Consider Philippians 4:6-7, or Psalms, 18:3-4, 23, or 31:1-5; we see how God offers great comfort and sustained hope to those who build up their home in Heaven and their hope in Him; no evil nor threat nor pain could come between us and God’s just rewards for His believers. I’ve seen so many great examples from my fellow believers of this past year when despair and fear have been so prevalent, along with the many opportunities to display hope myself. 

Have I been perfect in this regard? Absolutely not, it would be a blatant lie to say I’ve wholly avoided short-sighted sadness or grief at the state of what’s around us the past year. Surely I’ve sinned in this regard, and I’m thankful for Scripture and the encouragement of others reminding me of God’s truth when I do. It comes back to Isaiah 26:3 for me every time: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” God demonstrably ends up making a way every time when you keep your focus on Him, and as the flawed Christ-follower I am, I have been so grateful for the shelter and refuge found in our wonderful God in this last year.

So let Psalm 91 offer the assurance today that through all we’ve been through, God has been our watch and guard, comforting and protecting us; and when we seek to live in His glory, that will never change. Let verses 14-16 be our mission, that in all we do, we lift up, honor, satisfy, and set our eyes and hearts upon the God who’s gotten us this far. Let it remind us when the Lord would call upon us, that we would diligently and joyously answer His call. By focusing our eyes, hears, and lives upon Him, let’s build up our provisions in our home with the Lord, where the evils of this world pose no threat nor hold no sway. With the life we’re blessed with, let us show our thanks to the Lord for this salvation He provides. Thank you, Father God, for this incredible gift of salvation and deliverance from evil, and help me spend my days thanking you the best I can.

What’s Your Number?

Today’s reading is Psalm 90 which is attributed to Moses with some saying it’s the oldest Psalm, yet the author of every Psalm is not known so it can’t be confirmed it is the first.

What’s your number? This is the question asked in an old commercial of an investment firm regarding each person’s amount of money they need in order to retire. Each person’s number is hovering above them as they go about their daily life. What if the imaginary number above your head and this question was not about retirement money, but the number of days in your life?

Teach us to number our days

That we may get a heart of

wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

How would you live life differently if you knew your number? I find it ironic how most of us have a hard time wrapping our arms around the fact that God has always existed because everything we know has a beginning and end. Yet even though we know our life on Earth will end and we don’t know when, we don’t live that way.

Psalm 90:10 reads..

The years of our life are seventy

Or even by reason of strength

eighty…

Life is short…even if we live that long.

Psalm 90:14 says…

Satisfy us in the morning with

your steadfast love,

that we may rejoice and be

glad all our days.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled getting out of bed in the morning (although I’m still up early to get things done).  It drives my wife Shannon nuts that once I’m out of bed I’m awake with good energy. When we leave for vacation early in the morning before daybreak, I’m ready to chat and listen to music while she’s just ready to go back to sleep for another 3 hours while I drive. However, getting out of bed initially is always tough still..no matter what great things are going on that day. Would this be the case if I knew my number and how few might be left, or if I realized how fast the 25,000-30,000 days at full life expectancy will go?

Psalm 90:16 says…

Let your work be shown to your

servants,

and your glorious power to

their children.

My post 2 weeks ago was around our responsibility to teach our children to know and love God and His Word. Assuming our kids become adults, move out, or go to college around age 18, we have 6,570 days in which they are under our roof. I don’t know about you but that doesn’t seem like that many to me, and I’m sure it will feel even faster. Are we enjoying each one of those days with them and impacting them to help nurture and grow their relationship with God realizing they’ll only be with us for a short time to influence them for the rest of their life?

Psalm 90:17 reads…

Let the favor of the Lord our

God be upon us,

and establish the work of our

hands upon us;

yes, establish the work of our

hands.

Are we praying for a “heart of wisdom” as Psalm 90:12 mentions earlier and letting God do His work through our hands? What sort of impact are we having for His kingdom?

Psalm 90 tells us there will be challenges in this world no matter what our relationship with God (Psalm 90:10, Psalm 90:15). But we know God is with us through them. We know His love which He showed us on the cross. We know life is short here so those troubles are nothing compared to the joy we will experience in our eternal resting place in Heaven which is much longer. Jesus says in John 16:33,” I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” He conquered death through His Resurrection on Easter allowing us to do the same through belief in Him. So, let’s live like our number is 1 which turns the number above our head to ∞.

Taking the time…

 

Psalm 89

This Psalm is penned by Ethan the Ezraphite, a man known for his wisdom. He was likely a contemporary of Solomon and alive during David’s reign. Ethan’s words are filled with praise for God, and they concentrate on God’s mercies. This Psalm is sometimes thought of as a declaration of God’s “covenant love” or the loyal love of God.

 

(14) “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne.

Unfailing love and truth walk before you as attendants.”

 

Two thoughts struck me from this passage. First, I hope you don’t find yourself reading as I did this morning. I breezed through this 52 verse song to complete my assignment. I saw the familiar phrases of praise, similar to what we have been reading for the past 88 days and I let my mind float to auto-pilot. I was skimming to finish instead of taking the time to comprehend what I was reading. I challenge you today to slow down your reading pace and let the words actually land in your heart. Soak in the meaning and richness of each sentence. Think on the declarations and ponder the power spoken of in these songs. One of the commentaries I looked at said, “The lovingkindness of God lasts forever, so the praise of Him should also be sung forever.” We should never tire of these praises or the opportunity to be awed by the awesome character of our God. If some of these songs seem repetitive, it is only because our God’s unfailing love lasts forever and the author’s heart is overflowing with gratefulness!  (vs 2) Did you see that? Our God’s love is UNFAILING and it lasts FOREVER…This one sentence has more meaning than we can grasp if we soaked with it for a lifetime. Spurgeon says, “We have not one, but many mercies to rejoice in, and should therefore multiply the expressions of our thankfulness.”  Can we spend the time required in God’s word each day to let our hearts be affected by what we read?  (This seems so obvious but I clearly needed the reminder today and maybe other’s do too.)

Second, Ethan knew personally of God’s love and faithfulness. He took meticulous care to specifically list God’s attributes and praiseworthy actions in his song because he wanted others to benefit from God’s faithfulness and mercies. Ethan wanted to spread what he knew and had experienced with God to everyone who would listen. His joy was overflowing and his thankfulness could not be contained. Do we do the same? Are we thoughtful enough to articulate God’s character and our personal experiences with Him to others? Are we overflowing with thankfulness and awe? Are we so filled with excitement that we share with whoever will listen?

 

I want to live my life craving the words that describe the praises of my Father. I want to soak in the memories of what He has done and is still doing. I want to be able to articulate God’s specific traits and my personal memories of His work throughout my life. I want these thoughts to consume my mind so that His story flows out of my mouth whenever I have the opportunity to share.

Hopeless

Have you ever been without hope?  Maybe you know someone you know?  Today Psalm 88 makes me ask these questions.  The writer is clearly without hope.  Look at the descriptions of his current circumstances.

  • Full of troubles (v3)
  • Near Sheol (a dark place where the dead go) v3
  • No strength (v4)
  • Set loose among the dead (v5)
  • Forgotten by God (v5)
  • Cut off from God’s hand (v5)

Keep reading the Psalm.  There is more.  Clearly, the writer is in a place of hopelessness and despair.   He blames God.  Beginning with verse 6, he says You put me here.  You caused my friends to leave. You made me a horror.  I can hear the anguish in his voice as he cries out.

The anguish, however, is tempered.  In these grimmest of circumstances, there is a spark of hope.  It appears in verse 9. Every day, he says, I call upon you. I spread my hands to you.  These are not the words and actions of the hopeless.  These belong to the faithful.

The Psalmist knows the wonders of God and the praises that he deserves (v10).    He believes that God is righteous and worth being known (v11).  His words illustrate an understanding of  God’s grand design.

There is no knowing why this man was tortured in this way.  Why do any of us suffer?  Today, I sit, questioning if I will ever have to endure this kind of hardship. I pray fervently that God will spare me, and you, from such troubles.  Like the Psalmist, I ask for healing for all who are afflicted.  And, like the Psalmist, we have to wait and endure until there are answers.

Father God, while I hold my hands out to you, I pray for faith like this Psalmist.  In the midst of the struggle, he called on you.  While we can, let us see your wonder so that we can be in complete awe of you.  Allow us to experience your righteousness so that we can know your beauty.  Lord, please bury your promises deep within our hearts so that we can remember your hope when we most need it.  Imprint us with your love that will never leave us.  

Our Home

Psalm 87 speaks to the glorified position that Jerusalem has in the eyes of God.

The Psalmist speaks about the great and wondrous events in the history of God that occurred in Jerusalem.  From the days of Isaac’s willingness to sacrifice Jacob, Kind David’s rule, the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, as well as where the apostles launched Christianity.  Jerusalem is the epicenter of our faith.

Where is the city, town, or home that is special to you?

Home has become an important part of our lives over the past year as that is where we have spent the majority of our time since COVID-19.  Our family activities, travel, clubs, sports, hobbies, and even church have been cancelled or moved online.  Some homeowners are remodeling, expanding, painting, upgrading, and evening buying new homes, because they are spending so much time or have extra time to work on their home.  Many are working on their “home” to make it a place where they want to be.

Reflecting on the word “home” for this journal, I prayed to receive wisdom about this chapter.  I have been reflecting on the fact that no dwelling, structure, town, or city is my home.  My home is in Heaven with our Savior.

The greatest joy and comfort to me is to know that this life is temporary.  Yes, I love my family deeply and want to stay here with them on earth as long as I am able.  I want them to stay on earth as long as possible to experience the love and joy that comes from our relationships.  I live with conviction that when we die on this earth, we will see each other again in Heaven. Honestly, I long for my true “home.”  I want to live in Heaven with my savior Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks of Heaven in both the new and the old testament.

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” Hebrews 11:16 

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.”Revelation 22:1-5

“For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 Corinthians 5:1

Our home or city on earth is where we hope to feel protected, comfortable and at ease.  Our home in Heaven will be beyond what we can comprehend.  I yearn for a “home” with no pain, no heartache and no sadness.  I yearn for constant celebration, adoration, joy and peace with our Lord.

May the promise and hope of your Savior wash over you with His presence and peace to know that through Christ, you are saved, and will dwell with Him forever, in the “home” He has prepared for you.

My favorite Christian song about Heaven is by Chris Tomlin called Home.